On Fri, 2008-04-18 at 12:56 -0600, Bryan Sant wrote:
> Let me fist sincerly apologize for pursuing a discipline that
> maximizes the earning potential for me and my family.
If you think being poor is a choice, you don't know poverty. If you
think laziness and and poor educational choices explain 100% of poverty,
you've never known and cared about anyone in a tough situation. Not all
schools are effective. Not every child is born to parents with good life
skills. Not everyone is lucky enough to rise above every challenge life
throws at them.
Sadly, some children go to schools that are little better than holding
cells. Some parents pass on generations of maladaptive behavior. Some
people are too mentally ill to care for themselves without help. Some
people are forced into poverty by unexpected tragedy--for example,
overwhelming expenses caring for a sick or injured loved one.
Universal health care isn't going to solve poverty, but it will help
prevent people falling deeper into the pit. I'm not saying that everyone
should get free cosmetic surgery, but I am saying that everyone should
be able to afford to see the doctor when they're sick. I'm not saying
the solution has to be 100% tax payer funded, but I am saying that the
time has come to make affordable health care available to 100% of legal
citizens. I believe we are capable of achieving a better solution than
any other large nation, but we aren't there now.
BTW, while simple humanity is my primary reason for accusing our system,
economics is also an important motivator. We can and should be getting a
better return on our investment. If that puts pressure on other
countries to pay more of their fair share, all the better.
"The U.S. spends more on health care, both as a proportion of gross
domestic product (GDP) and on a per-capita basis, than any other nation
in the world. ... According to the Institute of Medicine of the National
Academy of Sciences, the U.S. is the only wealthy, industrialized nation
that does not have a universal health care system."
-- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_the_United_States
Unfortunately, some of the citations are broken. But a little effort can
turn up corroborating evidence. For example:
http://www.swivel.com/data_columns/spreadsheet/1858167?page=2